Dems weigh health plan maneuver

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

The White House and its Democratic allies scrambled Sunday for a plan to salvage their hard-fought health care package in case a Republican wins Tuesday's Senate race in Massachusetts, which would enable the GOP to block further Senate action.

The likeliest scenario would require persuading House Democrats to accept a bill the Senate passed last month, despite their objections to several parts.

A win by Republican Scott Brown win over Democrat Martha Coakley would give the GOP 41 Senate votes, enough to filibuster and block final passage of the House-Senate compromise on health care now being crafted.

The fallback would require House Democrats to approve the Senate-passed bill without changes. President Barack Obama could sign it into law without another Senate vote.

House leaders presumably would urge the Senate to make some changes later under a complex plan requiring only a simple majority, but it's unclear whether that could happen.

Republican activists openly scoffed at the notion of Democrats passing the highly contentious health package after a GOP win.